MommaHen
07-06-2003, 01:18 PM
(Think how many more of our loved ones could comehome if they do remove the governor from Oklahomas Parole Process.)
Oklahoman Editorial: Processing Paroles
2003-07-06
DURING HIS FIRST five months in office, Democratic Gov. Brad Henry was more stingy with his parole pen than his predecessor, Republican Frank Keating, a former FBI agent who was regarded as tough on crime.
Figures from the state Criminal Justice Resource Center, as reported in The Oklahoman, show Henry has signed an average of 112 paroles per month. Keating averaged 178 per month during 2002 and 209 per month the year before that.
Henry's spokeswoman, Kym Koch, says the governor has been taking those who are recommended for parole "on a case-by-case basis, with the emphasis being on public safety rather than statistics." It's hard to fault the man for that. But why is the governor even involved in routine parole cases? No other state governor is.
Five people serve on Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole Board -- three are appointed by the governor, one by the chief justice of the state Supreme Court and one by the presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Board chairman Patrick Morgan, a former assistant district attorney in Oklahoma County, estimates he and the others spend about 100 hours per month on their work.
There are roughly 600 inmates on the docket each month, Morgan says. Of those, about 175 will usually appear before the board in person. The panel also hears from attorneys, relatives, victims, prosecutors and others during its monthly meeting that lasts 21/2 days. It also considers reports from parole board staffers who have researched the cases.
This year, the parole board has recommended approval for 52 percent of the cases it has handled, which translates to more than 300 per month. Henry has been signing off on roughly one-third of the cases that have reached his desk, including some which were forwarded by the previous parole board.
There are economic issues to be considered. Oklahoma's prison population stands at about 23,100 -- up from 15,200 in fiscal year 1996 -- and is projected to reach 25,000 by 2006. That costs money, a minimum of $15,000 per inmate per year if you consider the state pays private prisons and other lockups $42 per day per inmate to house its prisoners.
Cutbacks, furloughs and emergency money from the Legislature helped the Corrections Department finish this past fiscal year in the black. But a $21 million deficit is expected at the end of the current fiscal year, which began Tuesday, due largely to the money spent on contract beds.
Signing off on more parolees would require that more money be spent on parole officers, but not as much as it costs to keep these inmates locked up. In addition, parole provides at least some supervision of inmates leaving the system. Those freed when their sentences expire simply return to society without any oversight.
Morgan has served on the board since December 1999 and says it can be frustrating, "particularly given the number of hours you put in before you even make a recommendation." But, he says, "My attitude is pretty much I've got my job and the governor's got his. He can exercise it. That's his judgment, his call to make."
Perhaps it's time to consider involving the governor only in commutations of death penalty cases. For now, he's encouraged to give more weight to the work being done by the parole board and its staff.
Oklahoman Editorial: Processing Paroles
2003-07-06
DURING HIS FIRST five months in office, Democratic Gov. Brad Henry was more stingy with his parole pen than his predecessor, Republican Frank Keating, a former FBI agent who was regarded as tough on crime.
Figures from the state Criminal Justice Resource Center, as reported in The Oklahoman, show Henry has signed an average of 112 paroles per month. Keating averaged 178 per month during 2002 and 209 per month the year before that.
Henry's spokeswoman, Kym Koch, says the governor has been taking those who are recommended for parole "on a case-by-case basis, with the emphasis being on public safety rather than statistics." It's hard to fault the man for that. But why is the governor even involved in routine parole cases? No other state governor is.
Five people serve on Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole Board -- three are appointed by the governor, one by the chief justice of the state Supreme Court and one by the presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Board chairman Patrick Morgan, a former assistant district attorney in Oklahoma County, estimates he and the others spend about 100 hours per month on their work.
There are roughly 600 inmates on the docket each month, Morgan says. Of those, about 175 will usually appear before the board in person. The panel also hears from attorneys, relatives, victims, prosecutors and others during its monthly meeting that lasts 21/2 days. It also considers reports from parole board staffers who have researched the cases.
This year, the parole board has recommended approval for 52 percent of the cases it has handled, which translates to more than 300 per month. Henry has been signing off on roughly one-third of the cases that have reached his desk, including some which were forwarded by the previous parole board.
There are economic issues to be considered. Oklahoma's prison population stands at about 23,100 -- up from 15,200 in fiscal year 1996 -- and is projected to reach 25,000 by 2006. That costs money, a minimum of $15,000 per inmate per year if you consider the state pays private prisons and other lockups $42 per day per inmate to house its prisoners.
Cutbacks, furloughs and emergency money from the Legislature helped the Corrections Department finish this past fiscal year in the black. But a $21 million deficit is expected at the end of the current fiscal year, which began Tuesday, due largely to the money spent on contract beds.
Signing off on more parolees would require that more money be spent on parole officers, but not as much as it costs to keep these inmates locked up. In addition, parole provides at least some supervision of inmates leaving the system. Those freed when their sentences expire simply return to society without any oversight.
Morgan has served on the board since December 1999 and says it can be frustrating, "particularly given the number of hours you put in before you even make a recommendation." But, he says, "My attitude is pretty much I've got my job and the governor's got his. He can exercise it. That's his judgment, his call to make."
Perhaps it's time to consider involving the governor only in commutations of death penalty cases. For now, he's encouraged to give more weight to the work being done by the parole board and its staff.